Ant-Man: Kevin Feige rejects Marvel criticism over Edgar Wright exit

Ahead of the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel president says new director Peyton Reed will deliver 'absolute best version' of Ant-Man and that superhero production house is not 'big evil studio' opposed to creativity

The British director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End walked away from the comic book film, which will star Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, after eight years of development last month due to creative differences with Marvel. He briefly tweeted a Photoshopped shot of Buster Keaton (a famous victim of the old Hollywood studio system) in an apparent rebuke to the studio before deleting it.

Wright was thought to be unhappy that Marvel commissioned rewrites of his screenplay for the long-gestating movie, which he'd co-written with Joe Cornish. But speaking to the Guardian at a screening of footage from new film Guardians of the Galaxy on Tuesday, Feige said Marvel had not behaved like a "big evil studio … too scared at the outside-the-box creative vision" in its dealings with the film-maker.

Edgar Wright at the London premiere of The World's End, 2013. Photograph: Richard Young/REX

Asked if the creative differences had involved personality issues with the British director, or whether his vision for Ant-Man had felt out-of-sync with Marvel's wider universe of superheroes, Feige said it was a "combination".

"We sat round a table and we realised it was not working," he said. "A part of me wishes we could have figured that out in the eight years we were working on it. But better for us and for Edgar that we figure it out then, and not move it through production.

"We said let's do this together and put out a statement. What do we say? 'Creative differences'. I said: 'That's what they always say and no-one ever believes it.' Edgar said: 'But in this case it's true … '"

Added Feige: "The Marvel movies are very collaborative, and I think they are more collaborative than what he had been used to. And I totally respect that.

"[But] the notion that Marvel was scared, the vision was too good, too far out for Marvel is not true. And I don't want to talk too much about that because I think our movies speak to that. Go look at Iron Man 3; go look at The Winter Soldier; go see Guardians of the Galaxy later this month. It would have to be really out there to be too out there for us."

Wright's regular collaborator Simon Pegg fuelled speculation that Wright had produced something special for Ant-Man when he tweeted that the screenplay was "daring, fun, funny and hugely exciting" last month. But Feige said he was convinced the film, which is due to begin shooting on 18 August under Yes Man director Peyton Reed and with a retooled screenplay, was now "in the best shape it's ever been".

He said: "Peyton is going to do a tremendous job and the cast is tremendously dedicated and the script is getting into amazing shape. You wouldn't expect a producer to say anything different, but when that movie comes out it will be the absolute best version of Ant-Man that could have existed."

He continued: "The biggest disappointment for me is just the relationship, because I like Edgar very, very much and we were very close for many many years. But the perception that the big evil studio was too scared at the outside-the-box creative vision is just not the case."